School-based assessment in English language teaching: weighing the cow will not fatten it

Abstract

Education systems of the 21st century face the challenge of reflecting the needs of an extremely dynamic global society. Of paramount importance is students' aptitude for life-long learning; a quality that needs to be fostered and enhanced by sustainable assessment practices that focus on promoting learning instead of merely testing existing knowledge and skills. Within any contemporary educational system, school-based assessment (SBA) may be utilised to promote higher-order thinking skills. SBA is especially valuable in English language learning which involves the acquisition of a variety of linguistic and communication skills. In the South African system, however, SBA in English classrooms seems to amount to nothing more than regular summative testing, grading and record keeping of marks to satisfy bureaucracy and prepare candidates for high-stakes examinations